Process for coating and cooking frankfurters



Feb. 12, 1952 G. J. WRIGHT ETAL 2,585,364

PROCESS FOR COATING AND COOKING FRANKFURTERS Filed Nov. 22, 1948 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVEENTORS faeaf J VI/Q/GHT Y 4426 1/ M e/ H7 Feb. 12, 1952 G. J. WRIGHT ETAL PROCESS FOR COATING AND COOKING FRANKFURTERS Filed Nov. 22, 1948 8 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS G06 J. VI/Q/GHT PAL/ H 1 WQ/GHT Feb. 12, 1952 G. J. WRIGHT ETAL 85,

PROCESS FOR COATING AND COOKING VFRANKFURTERS Feb. 12, 1952 G. J. WRlGHT ETAL' 2,585,364

PROCESS FOR COATING AND COOKING FR'ANKFUR'IERS Filed Nov. 22, l948 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 all Fiq.5.

INVENTORS L 650265 d Was/av RALPH d M/eveyr Feb. 12, 1952 J, wRlGHT ETAL 2,585,364

PROCESS FOR COATING AND cooxmc FRANKFURTERS Filed Nov. 22, 1948 8 Sheets-Sheet 6 1952 G. J. WRIGHT EFAL PROCESS FOR COATING AND COOKING FRANKFURTERS Filed Nov. 22, 1948 8 Sfieets-Sheet 7 Feb. 12, 1952 e. .1: WRIGHT ETAL PROCESS FOR COATING AND COOKING FRANKFURTERS Filed Nov. 22, 1948 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 NTO l r :l 1

650265 IQAAPH BY Patented Feb. 12, 1952 UNITED FS TATTEZS PATENT OFFICE PROCESS FOR COATINGAND COOKING FRANKFURTERS George J. Wright, Berkeley, and Ralph .J. Wright, Albany OaliL, :assignors, by mesne assignments, to Fritter-Chcf Corporation, BerkeleyrCalif .a

corporation of California 1 ApplicatinnLNovember 22, 1948, Serial No. 61,316

:lCla'ims.

The invention relates to machines and processes :for preparing and cooking of articles such as frankf-urters.

An object of the invention is to provide a machine and process of the character described in which the frankfurter is coated with batter, cooked therewith in a hot oil bath to provide a fritter encased flankiurter, and delivered as a cooked product ready toeahall by a iully automatic and completely mechanized apparatus.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine and process of the character above which will produce completely .cooked and ready to eat :fritter enclosed .frankfurters in rapid ,succession, and wherein the frankf-urters and iritter batter are carried through the several operations of the machine and process untouched :by human hands.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine and process .of the character above which will provide a properly cooked Irankfur-ter encased in a delectable fritter type coating replacing the conventional frankfurter bun, the completed .food product being .a most palatable, generally improved and more digestible type of food of the character described.

.An additional object of the present invention is to provide an improved method of and appar 'ratus or coating an uncooked .frankfurter with batter preparatory to cooking wherein the method a-fiords and the apparatus provides auto-- matic means for rapidly coating the .trankfurter with batter, with all of the ,frankiurter so proc essed coated uniformly with a proper thickness of batter.

,Still another object of the invention is to provide a process and apparatus .for cooking the frankfuiter and the batter coa ing together while immersed in the cooking .oil .in such a manner that uniformity of product of improved quality is insured.

The invention possesses other objects and leatures of advantag some of which, with the storegoing, will be .set forth in the following .descrip tion of the preferred form of the l-i fintion which s llustrated in the drawin s a mpanyin and forming part .of the specification. It is to be understood, however, that Variations in the showing made y the sa d raw n s and descr ption may be adopted within the scopeoi the in vention as set forthin the -claims.

Referring to said drawings; Figure 1 is a top plan Vi w 9.! .8 ilhll i l'l fi cooking machine constructed in accordaocewith the present invention.

igure 42 is aside view partly in section-of the machine illustrated in Figure :1, the general plane of, the .section being taken on the line 2-2 of the latter figure.

ure 3 is :a cross-sectional view on .asomewhat enlarged scale and taken substantially on the plane of line 33 ofFigure 2.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary vertical longitudinal sectional view of the receiving :end of the machine and portion adjacent thereto.

Figure 5 is aljfragmentary top plan viewof :the portion of the machine illustrated in Figure 4..

Figure 6 is .an end elevation of the machine taken from th delivery end, with the cooking oil container broken away and shown in section.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary top plan view similar to Figure 5 but showing the delivery end and adjacent portion of the machine.

Figure 8 is a vertical sectional view of the portion of the machineshown in Figure 17, the plane of the section being indicated by the line 88 of Figure -7,. 4

Figure 9 is a detail side view, partly in section, of an intermittent gear mechanism utilized in connection with the discharge operation.

The frankfurter machine illustrated in the accompanying drawings includes a series of successively arranged and co-acting mechanisms by means of which frankfurters and batter are supplied to one end .of the machine, carried through a succession .of steps wherein the Irankfurters are coated with batter, then cooked with the batter coating in a hot .oil bath, and finally delivered in a completely cooked state, ready to eat, all in a rapid sequential order. Preferably, the several parts of the machine are unitarily supported on a frame 15, and desirably, for commercial purposes, the several parts are contained in an attractive housing with appropriate windows for viewing of automatic operations and openings ,for input of the frankfurters and batter, and a discharge opening for the completed food product. The housing, being purely a display feature of the machine, is not here illustrated.

hereinabove noted, the food product produced by the process and apparatus of the pressent invention is a fritter-encased cooked frankfurter and improved means and process isherein provided for coating an uncooked frankiurter with batter. In accordance with the pressent invention, an uncooked frankfurter I B of standard elongated shape is caused to pass the coating thereon, and during such inter-engagement of the frankfurter and batter coating on the roller, the frankfurter and roller are caused to rotate about their respective longitudinal axes so as to transfer a uniform coating of batter to the periphery of the frankfurter. Frankfurters are introduced to the machine by being initially deposited upon a conveyor 18 which comprises a pair of endless chains l9 and 2| supported and spaced in substantially parallel vertical planes and having transversely aligned upper and lower runs 22 and 23. Connected between the chains is and 2land extending horizontally therebetween are} a plurality of dish-shaped trays 2A Which,'as viewed in Figure 5, are of elongated form arranged with their concave side upper most on thetop run 22 for 1 receiving in each of the trays a frankfurter.

. mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis directly under and approximately co-terminous with the transverse dimension of the conveyor 18 so that the frankfurters are deposited onto the periphery of the cylinder 28 with their long'itudinal axes approximately horizontally arranged. Provided on the periphery of thecylinde'r 28 in circumferentially spaced relation are a plurality of elevator bars 29 which extend longitudinally of the cylinder and serve to pick up in succession frankfurters deposited on the roller periphery and to carry such frankfurters in an arcuate course of movement with the cyl inder. Spaced around one side of the cylinder, being the leitside as viewed in Figure 4, are a plurality or spring supported pressure rolls 3! which are mounted in an arcuate arrangerrient in spaced concentric relation to the cylinder 28 so as to define an arcuate passageway- 32 therebetween. As will be best seen from Figures 3 and 4, the pressure rolls 3| are of hollow tubulariorm, each mounted on a centra'lly'a'rranged helical spring 33 which extends lengthwise through the rolls and is secured at opposite spirally reduced ends 36 and 35, to arcuately shaped supporting arms 3 and. 3B dispossum vertical planes adjacent the opposite ends of the-cylinder 28. The rolls 3! are thus resiliently supported for movement to and from the periphery of the cylinder 28 while at the same time being permitted free individual rotation. Preferably, the radial spacing between the cylinder periphery and the rolls 3|, that is, the transverse dimension of the passageway 32, is somewhat less than the normal thicknes or diameter or the frankfurter, whereby the latter, in being transported the passageway, will be firmly and rigidly supported between the periphery of the cylinder and the succession of rolls 3|.

Advantage istaken of this firmly supported positioning of the frankfurter and its precise course of movement through the passageway; 32 for transfer of the frankfurter to a second conveyor 33 for movement to the batter coat-. ing roller Bl and to other parts and operations' of the machine.

One of the principaljea;

tures of conveyor 35 is its support of frankfurters exclusively at the opposite ends of the frankfurters with the entire periphery of the franlrfurter exposed for processing as herein provided and to additionally permit rotation of thefrankiurteravhile being so supported about its longitudinal axis. 'I'his. important supporting of the frankfurter is herein provided by a plurality of impalin pins carried by the con- ,veyor 39 in transversely spaced and aligned reper and lower runs 46 and 41 with the corresponding runs of the chains having parallel courses of movement. One end 58 of the conveyor 39'is' concentrically aligned with the passageway 32 so that the corresponding ends oi chains 43 define the opposite ends of the-pas sageway 32 and are caused to move in an arcuate course precisely aligned with the arcuate spaceof the passageway. The pins 41 and 42, as above mentioned, are carried transversely of the conveyor and the inner extremities 49 and SI of the pins project into the space between thechains E3 and 4G. As an important feature'of the construction of the pins, the latter are reciprocally carried in sleeves 52 and 53, also providing the spacers for the respective chains, and additionally the pins are journalled for rotation in these sleeves. Accordingly, the pins 4| and 32 'are carried by their respective chains 43 and 44 in an arcuate course of movement around'the end 48 of the conveyor in a position substantially precisely at the transverse center of the arcuate passageway 32 in which the frankfurter's are carried and supported as above described.

A common drive for chains 43 and 44 is pro vided so that the opposite pins 4| and 42 are moved in unison and in transversely aligned relation, such movement is timed to the movement of' the conveyor 39 and the cylinder 28, so that the pins 4! and 42 are moved through the space 32 at the same speed as frankfurters are deposited onto and carried by the elevator bars 29 on the periphery of the cylinder 28. The arrangement and support of the conveyor 39 is such that the upper run 46 moves to the left, as viewed in Figures .4 and 5, so as to enter the passageway 32 at the'upper end thereof above the cylinder 28. Likewise, the driving of conveyor l8 in a timed relation to the conveyor 39 and cylinder 28, efiects a depositing of frankfurters onto the cylinder 28 at intervals corresponding to their speed of removal by the. elevator bars 29. Also, the

timing between conveyor, 39 and cylinder 28 is sab desc ibe Mean or s dis lac th pins here v.consist of a pair of identicalcams 5s !II a t e o o t si sq the m chine generally aligned with the passageway s2. {Iihesebams are of segmented cylindrical shape having end faces which spiral inwardly and serve to engage heads 51 and 58 on the outer ends of pins 4| and 42 so as to urge and displace these pins in an inward direction while traversing the passageway 32.

The batter applying roller l1 hereinabove noted is inounted with its periphery in close proximity to the bottom run 41 of the conveyor 3'9 so as to present its periphery in co-acting relation to frankfurters carried by the lower run of the conveyor upon leaving the conveyor end 48, where the frankfurters are transferred to the conveyor as above described. As will be thus seen from Figures 4 and 5, the roller is journalled for rotation upon a horizontal shaft 59, parallel to the bottom runs 41 of the chains 43 and Ml and has a length somewhat less than the spacing between theseruns so that the full length of the roller periphery is presented in the space traversed by the frankfurter. As will be seen in Figure 4, the frankfurters I6 are carried by the bottom run 41 of the conveyor in close proximity to the top of the roller [1, a recommended spacing being .app oxim y Batter is arranged to be supplied to the periphcry of roller ii for transfer to the frankfurters asabove described, and means for so supplying the batter here consist of a batter container 6;! within which the periphery of the roller is caused to mo ve. PreferablyQthe container 6| is of sufflcient size to carry batter for a considerable period of operation of the machine, and extends from a point somewhat ahead of roller I! to the front end of the machine, that is, the left end as viewed in Figure l. Widthwise, as will be seen from Figures 2 and 5, the container 6| has a somewhat greater dimension than the length of the roller fl'l, so that the full length of the roller will be immersed in batter with which the container is filled. Preferably, the bottom 62 inclines downwardly toward the roller I! to permit filling oi the container from the end of the machine and to insure a proper flow of the batter to the roller periphery. .As will be also noted from Figures 1 and 4, the axis of the roller shaft 59 is approximately at the top 63 of the batter container, so that the upper portion of the roller periphery extends above the level of the batter at all times, The roller is arranged to be rotated so as to coat the entire roller periphery with batter and particularly that portion extending above the container, and preferably a batter consistency and texture is used that will provide a relatively thick coating of batter on the roller, say approximately in thickness. In this manner, a frankfurter traversing the top of the roller in closely spaced relation thereto, as above described, will intersect the batter coating, indicated by numeral 64 on Figure 4. v

In accordance with the present invention and as a principal feature thereof, the frankfurter is caused to rotate about its longitudinal axis during the period of engagement of the frankfurter with the batter coating 64 on the roller, so as'to bring all peripheral portions of the frankfurter into contact with the batter coating. In other words, the frankfurter is caused to rotate at least one complete revolution while in contact with the batter supported on the roller H. In order to have batter continuously available for coating toward the oncoming frankfurter.

61 h r nk n t e d rin it r ation. t e roller. .1 1 is iikewise rotated, the rotation of theproller functioning to provide aconstant supply of batter to the frankfurter being coated. Actually, it has been found desirable to supply batter to the interengaged area with the frankfurter at a faster rate than the movement of the frankfurter. In this manner, the batter is crowded onto and heaped upon the surface of the frankfurterso as to permit a desired thick coating to form on the frankfurter with a constant surplusage of batter from which to draw. The action is greatly facilitated by selecting a direction of rotation of the roller wherein the top of the roller moves This is a counter-clockwise direction of rotation as viewed in Figure 4. Also, to insure a maximum relative movement of the frankfurter in the batter carried up and supported by the roller, the .frank furter is caused torotate in a direction advancing the lower side of the frankfurter intothe batter, that is, a counter-clockwise rotation of the frank.- furter as viewed in Figure 4. This latter rotation of the frankfurter also assists in the elevation of the accumulated mass of batter at the forward side of the frankfurter, thereby tending to raise this mass over and around the frankfurter, whereby the frankfurter is thoroughly and completely enveloped by the batter.

While various relative diameters and rotating speeds of the roller and frankfurther may be used, particularly with various typesof batter, ithas been found that fora relatively stiff batter a proportioning of the roller diameter to a frankfurter diameter approximately as indicated in the drawings is satisfactory. The usual dimeter of a fran'kfurter to be processed is approximately and the corresponding roller diameter, as here shown, is approximately 3.. For these relative diameters, a rotation of the roller of approximately three revolutions to each two revolutions of the frankiurter produces satisfactory results. As will be appreciated, the peripheral speed of the roller determines the amount of batter which is fed to the inter-enaged area of the frankfurter and better coating, and this speed of rotation of the roller is dependent upon the amount of batter to betransfer-red to the frankfurter and also upon the consistency of the batter itself. A batter coating of approximately on the frankfurter is dei ab As above explainedythe iinpaling pins GI and .42 are fully inserted into the opposite ends of the frankfurter during its course of movement through the ;arcuate passageway 32 and as the frankfurter emerges from the lower .end of the passageway it becomes disengaged from the lowermost roller 3| and is thereafter supported exclusively by the pins .49 and 51. Such latter sup-port not only exposes-the full length of the fran-kfurter to the roller I? but also mounts the franli-furter for rotation with its coaxially inserted pins. Rotation 'ofthe frankfurter is obtained by causing the rotation of one of the pins 42 which, as will be seenfrom Figure 5, is'formed with a flattened extremity 5| in contrast to the pointed cylindrical extremity 453 of pin ll. Each of the pins 42 is provided, adjacent the head 58 thereon, with a pinion 68 which is engaged, when in proximity to batter roller ll, with a rack '61. The latter, as will be seen from Figure 3, overlies the pinion so as to impart thereto a desired direction of rotation as above described,

and has a length extending lengthwise of the travel of the conveyor by a distance extending over the period of engagement of a frankfurter with roller 11.

The fully coated frankfurter is carried by the lower run 4-1 of the conveyor 39 from the batter roller IT to the surface of a hot oil bath 68 contained in an open top trough-like receptacle 89 extending from adjacent the roller I! to adjacent the opposite or delivery end of the ma chine. Preferably, rotation of the frankfurter is continued from the roller H to the hot oil bath so as to assist in the uniform distribution of the batter around the periphery of the frankfurter and to retain such distribution. However, the direction of rotation of the frankfurter at its point of immersion in the oil is preferably reversed from that at the roller, so that the forward surface of the franlzfurter moves downwardly into the oil, that is, a clockwise rotation as viewed in Figure 4. Accordingly, a second rack 'il, forming substantial extension of rack 6'1, is provided, but at an elevation to engage the under side of pinions 66. As will be seen from Figure 4, the receptacle B9 is mounted somewhat below the roller 17 and spaced forwardly therefrom, and the bottom run 41 of the conveyor is caused to descend rather sharply over idler rollers I2, into the container, so as to bring the frankfurter in contact with the liquid. As the frankfurter is caused to continue its rotation while coming in contact with the liquid, the engagement of the surface of the batter with the oil causes a flow of the batter into a. final uniform distribution around the frankfurter and a smoothing out of the surface of the batter. At the same time, the batter coating, upon rotating through the oil, sets in its smooth and uniformly distributed state.

As another important feature of the present invention, the batter encased frankfurter is caused to traverse the hot oil bath in such a manner and while bein rotated, as to produce a greatly improved product. More particularly, we have found that the frankfurter should be submerged in the oil by approximately the depth only of its batter coating. As will be seen from Figure 4, the lower runs 41 of the conveyor are engaged under idler wheels 13, thus disposing the pins 4| and 42 just above the upper surface 14 of the coil in the receptacle 69. Also, means is provided for rotating pins 42, and the frankfurters carried thereby, throughout their entire course of movement through the receptacle 69. This means is furnished in part by the aforedescribed rack H, which terminates at a point shortly after immersion of the frankfurters into the oil bath, and rotation is continued for the remaining travel in the container by a rack 16 which re-engages the pinions on their upper sides after leaving rack II. With the arrangement of racks as thus set forth, the frankfurters are caused to reverse their direction of rotation after entry into the oil and through the majority of the cooking operation turn in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in the drawings. By turnin of the frankfurter contra to its direction of movement lengthwise in the receptacle, maximum surface displacement of the frankfurter in the oil results, with an attendant acceleration of cooking speed.

It has been found that the submersion of the product in the oil to approximately only the thickness of the batter coating at the bottom of the frankfurter, at which position the frankfurter is well above the float level of the coated frankfurter in the oil, affords a result greatly superior to that obtained from allowing the frankfurter to be cooked While entirely submerged. By contrast, where the frankfurter and its batter coating are fully submerged in the hot oil and retained there in for the required cooking period, the portion of the batter coating next to the frankfurter tends to remain doughy or soggy. On the other hand, where the frankfurter is rotated as herein described, with substantially only the batter thickness submerged, the batter coating is uniformly cooked throughout its entire mass and is likewise thoroughly and uniformly heated. As will be appreciated, in the cookin process of the present invention, as above described, a majority of the outer peripheral surface of the batter coating is exposed to the air above the surface of the oil, and the peripheral area submerged is being constantly carried up into the air space above the oil by rotation of the frankfurter. A considerable portion, therefore, of the cooking of the present food product occurs in a heated atmosphere conducive to the escape of vaporized oil and moisture products. It is apparent that this arrangement is largely instrumental in obtaining a fritter enclosure for the frankfurter which is completely cooked, relatively oil free and of adesired aerated texture. At the same time, by insuring a relatively oil-free fritter coating, the frankfurter itself is kept from absorbing an excess of. cooking oil and is thus made more palatable and more readily digestible.

Under certain circumstances, as for difierent types of batters, it may be desired to cause the product to traverse the oil at different levels. One way of affording this in a very simple manner is to tilt the machine slightly by having one end somewhat higher than the other.

The oil in container 69 may be heated in any suitable manner, and is heated, in the present embodiment, by means of a plurality of electrical heating elements 11, preferably thermostatically controlled to maintain an oil temperature of approximately 390 F. to 400 F. Also desirably, the outer wall of the container 69 is appropriately insulated, as with a jacket or shell of insulation material '18.

As will be best seen from Figures 1 and 2, the batter coated frankfurter iscarried by the lower run 41 of conveyor 39 into the cooking container 69 adjacent one end thereof, being the left end as viewed in the drawings, and thereafter traverses the surface 14 of the oil to adjacent the opposite end of the container, from where the frankfurter is carried up out of the container into the delivery mechanism. As will be understood, the length of the container 69 and the relative speed of travel of conveyor 39 determine the cooking duration to which the food product is subjected. In the present embodiment, and in accordance with the cooking process hereinabove described, a cooking time of approximately one hundred seconds has been found satisfactory. This has been based upon speed of travel of the lower run 41 of the conveyor, corresponding to a length of travel in the oil of approximately eight inches per minute and a speed of rotation of the frankfurter while in contact with theoil of approximately twenty revolutions per minute.

As previously stated, when the cooking operation has thus been completed, the cooked product is elevated and withdrawn from the oil and for this purpose, as will be clear from Figures 6, 7 and 8, the lower run 41 of the conveyor is moved upwardly and around idler wheels 19 defining a delivery endnf h v .con o edie et the far end of the receptacle {59. While traversing-this delive e d of h yor. n t a d. a e etracted from the opposite ends of the frankfurters,,and the frankfurters, thus being released, are deposited upondelivery arms 3| which carry the frankfurters onto the upper end 82 of a delivery chute 83 extendingdromthe, machine. Retraction of the pins 4i andfig. here effected by a pair'of cams 84 and 86"'mo nted terioijlybf and at the opposite sides of co v o v chaiiis52 and 53 and having 'an arcuateform generally aligned with the arcuate eonrse of movement of the conveyor around the delivery end. E lie 84 d a v med ith pu r s. a d 3 QIT$+Q- :fQl" 555 315 with the inner sides of the heads and 53; of the i effect hei pu wetdge t en .3. m the space between the conveyors, and from the ends of the frankfurters, while the pins are carried around the delivery end of the conveyor.

Desirably, a plurality of quadrant-shaped guard plates 89 are positioned with their arcuate peripheries 9I substantially aligned with the course of movement of the pins 4| and 42 so as to guide the frankfurters released from the pins onto the delivery arms SI. The transverse spacing of the outer guard plates 89 is somewhat less than the length of the frankfurters, and preferably outwardly extending stop pins 92 are secured at the upper ends of plates serving to engage and positively stop the continued movement of the frankfurters with the conveyor. As will be best seen from Figure 6, the arrangement of the cams 84 and 86 is such as to cause a complete retraction of the pins M and 42 prior to their reaching the pins 92, whereby the inner extremities 49 and SI of the impaling pins will clear the stop pins 92. The pins 92, aside from positively defining the end position of the frankfurters as carried by the conveyor, also assist in detachment of the impaling pins from the frankfurters where part of the fritter casing extends lengthwise of the frankfurter by a distance greater than the retraction of the pins. In such case, the positive stopping of the frankfurters by pins 92 causes the pins to shear through and become detached from such fritter extensions.

Delivery arms 8! are mounted centrally of their length on a horizontal shaft 93 positioned in endwise spaced relation to the arcuate peripheries of guard plates 89 and through the arcuate plane of the guard plates, it being noted that the spacing of the arms SI along the shaft 93 is such as to position the arms between the guard plates. Also, as will be best seen from Figure 8, the arms 8! as viewed in side elevation, are curved to provide concave portions 94 approximately aligned with the descending frankfurters released at stop 60 pins 92, so as to support the frankfurters with their length transversely arranged with respect to the machine. Drive means is provided for the shaft arm 93 so as to rotate the concave arm portions aforesaid through an arc in excess of 90 for delivery of the frankfurters onto the top 82 of the delivery chute, the latter being provided with spaced fingers 95 staggered transversely from the arms BI, to thereby permit the movement of arms through the fingers for transfer of the frankfurters. Since the arc of rotation of the arms 8! intersects the course of movement of the frankfurter impaling pins 4| and 42, the arms 8| must be swung into frankfurter receiving position in timed relation to the passage 78 of the impaling pins.

of the successive pairs-of impaling pins. This is best accomplished by imparting to the arm shaft 93 in irregular angular velocity, so to rapidly insert the arms into receiving position and rapidly displace the armsout of such position in the interval of time between thepassage of the pins. irregular angular velocity of rnoyementof thearrns is aiforded bythe segmental gear shown -ie e9- All of the movingpart of the machine are. preferablyv driven from asingle electric motor 9 mountedon the-frarne generallybelow the reeeii end o the mac ne" T s mo s co nected bya drive belt Hiito a sheave 99 mounted in a ge'arboxwt at theside of the machine, the se 've einese i r e to a t a s y xten shaft IOI upon which the elevator cylinder 28 is mounted, see Figure 4. A chain drive sprocket I02 is also secured on shaft Iill and enmeshed with the chains 52 and 53 of the main conveyor 39, see Figure 3. Likewise secured to the shaft IilI within the gear casing I06 is a gear I03 which is enmeshed with a second gear I04 mounted on another transverse drive shaft I06. The latter supports for rotation therewith drive sprockets IIJ'I engaged with the conveyor chains IS and 2I, the sprockets In! defining the delivery end 26 of the conveyor I8. Rotation of the shaft 53 of the batter roller is effected by a belt I08 mounted on sheaves I09 and III on shafts NH and 59 respectively. The drive connection for the shaft 93 of the delivery arms 8| is taken off from the conveyor 39 at the discharge end thereof by means of a sprocket II2 mounted on the side of the machine in alignment with and close proximity to the idle wheels I9 and enmeshed with chain 43. The shaft II3 of the sprocket H2 is journalled for rotation in a gear case II4 within which and secured to shaft H3 is a gear II6 which is constantly enmeshed with a gear II'I mounted on a stub shaft II8. A segmental gear H9 is mounted for rotation with gear II"! and is engageable with a complementary segmental gear I2I of smaller diameter secured to the arm shaft 53 which extends into the casing I4, it being noted that the engagement of the segmental gears H9 and I2I imparts an accelerated movement to the shaft 93 corresponding to the movement of the arms 8I into and through their receiving and delivery operation as above described. Also mounted on shaft 93 in alignment with gear I I! is another segmental gear I22 arranged to enmesh with gear II1 during the arc of movement when segmental gears I2I and I22 are out of engagement. Segmental gear I22 has a diameter somewhat greater than gear 1, so that during the period of engagement of these two gears there is a deceleration of the speed of rotation of the arm shaft 93.

I claim:

1. The process of cooking a frankfurter which consists in coating a frankfurter with batter, and rotating said frankfurter in hot oil with said frankfurter submerged in the oil by a depth approximately equal to the thickness of the batter coating thereon.

2. The process of cooking a frankfurter which consists in applying a coating of batter to a frankfurter, supporting said frankfurter at its opposite ends so as to leave substantially its full length exposed and unattached, positioning said frankfurter in a bath of hot oil with the In otherwords, the de r livery arms 8 swing into. and out of frankfurterreceiving position in the interval between passing 11 length of the frankfurter substantially parallel to the surface of said oil and submerged in said oil by a depth approximately equal to the thickness of said batter coating, and rotating said frankfurter about its longitudinal axis.

3. The process of cooking a frankfurter which consists in coating a frankfurter with batter, and rotating said frankfurter in hot oil with said irankfurter suspended in the oil above the float level of the coated frankfurter in the oil.

4. The process of cooking a frankfurter which consists of applying a coating of batter to a Irankfurter, supporting said frankfurter at its opposite ends so as to leave substantially its full length exposed and unattached, positioning said frankiurter over a bath of hot oil with the length of the frankfurter substantially parallel to the surface of the oil and submerged in said 011 by a depth approximately equal to the thickness of said batter coating, moving said frankfurter along a longitudinal path substantially parallel to the surface of said oil and rotating said frankfurter in a direction contra to its direction of longitudinal movement whereby maximum surface displacement of the frankfurter in the oil is efiected.

GEORGE J. WRIGHT. RALPH J. WRIGHT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

